Argentina likely would allow a former navy officer known as the "Blond Angel of Death," a symbol of the country's human rights horrors, to be extradited to France for a murder trial, Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa said yesterday.
Alfredo Astiz, convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison by French courts in 1990, was arrested last month to face possible extradition to France for a fresh trial in the murder of two French nuns.
"If courts say yes (to Astiz's extradition), I don't believe the executive would put any obstacles," Mr Bielsa said of the benchmark rights case from Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship.
President Nestor Kirchner, who has the final say over any extradition, in July annulled a decree that barred sending abroad for trials military officers accused of being involved in the dictatorship's "Dirty War" against suspected leftists, which killed up to 30,000 people.
Congress annulled 1980s-era amnesty laws in August. But the Supreme Court has yet to make a final decision, leaving it uncertain whether Kirchner's government can extradite Astiz.
A government spy with boyish good looks, Astiz infiltrated rights groups during the dictatorship and is accused of identifying some victims to be kidnapped and murdered by kissing them during a church service.
Many legislators and rights activists say they would prefer trials in Argentina for people like Astiz.
Extradition, which for many Argentines implies a failure of their own courts to deliver justice, is a contentious topic in much of Latin America where nationalistic pride can run high.
"The executive has the last word when the courts say an extradition can proceed," Bielsa said before leaving on a diplomatic trip to Cuba. "We have to wait until the courts make a ruling over extradition. But I believe that the correct institutional procedures are being carried out."